SAM TWAREK | DAILY KENT STATER

ACPB Vice President Christopher Taylor voices his concerns while President Shana Scott reviews her notes at the Undergraduate Student Senate meeting yesterday. USS met in the Student Center to review their charter.

Credit: Adam Griffiths

The Undergraduate Student Senate met yesterday to review the charter proposal and to discuss the changes made.

One of the proposed changes is to the USS Director of Programming position. According to the charter, the change will require the director to chair the All-Campus Programming Board’s programming committee, among other responsibilities.

Under ACPB’s current set-up, the organization internally selects a president and vice president; the new director of programming would run on a platform and be elected.

The director position will be part of USS’s reorganization of ACPB and will fall under USS advising. If the charter passes, ACPB’s internally elected chair will serve as an internal president of the group.

ACPB Vice President Christopher Taylor said the organization would prefer that the director report to the internal chair. He also said that because anyone could run for director of programming, he fears an inexperienced leader might be elected.

“I am worried that there will be a conflict between the two chairs,” said Christopher Taylor. “I feel that the vice chair should be above the director.”

Another concern for ACPB is the charter’s 80-20 percent breakdown, which requires 80 percent of all ACPB funds to go toward FlashFest, BlastOff! and one additional concert event.

The goal is to reserve a large portion of the money for bigger events; the remaining 20 percent will be reserved for social, educational, cultural and aesthetically appealing programs.

“A lot of the money should go to bigger things,” said Ross Miltner, executive director of USS. “People expect it. I’m not saying the money has to go to concerts, but it does need to be considered.”

The new charter also proposes six appointed senators, including two who will represent international and non-traditional students, another appointed at-large and three senators representing various student-living conditions.

But the addition of international and non-traditional representatives brought debate to the meeting.

Taylor argued that the diversity seats should be broken down better.

“Why can’t you just break down the diversity interests?” Taylor said. “For example: black affairs, the LGBT community. Why just the two: International affairs and non-traditional students?”

Miltner explained that international students are a much more tangible than the idea of diversity.

“What is going to be defined as a ‘diversity student?'” Miltner said. “International and non-traditional students add a diversity aspect. I’m not against putting the diversity back in – it’s the thought that counts.”

Contact general assignment reporter Caroline Lautenbacher at [email protected].